Mobile platforms such as aircraft, busses, trains, ships, rotorcraft, etc., typically require an externally mounted antenna to enable communications with a base station transceiver. For example, the CONNEXION BY BOEINGSM system enables high speed transmission of digital information from a base transceiver to high speed mobile platforms such as (but not limited to) commercial jet aircraft. With any mobile platform, aerodynamics can be an important consideration. With high speed moving aircraft such as commercial jet aircraft, aerodynamics becomes an especially important consideration in the performance of the aircraft and its operating costs.
With any mobile platform, the mounting of an antenna on an external surface thereof generally operates to negatively affect the aerodynamics of the mobile platform. To protect the antenna and to further mitigate the negative aerodynamic impact of the antenna, a fairing may be used to enclose the antenna over the outer surface portion of the mobile platform. In this instance, the shape of the fairing is highly important to providing good aerodynamic performance, and therefore ameliorating the negative aerodynamic influence that would otherwise be introduced by the presence of the antenna on the exterior surface of the mobile platform.
Present day fairings, however, are not especially well suited (i.e., shaped) to cover antennas having dimensions required for use with high frequency, satellite based communication systems. Such antennas often project up to 12 inches (30.48 cm) or more above the outer surface of the mobile platform upon which they are mounted, and therefore present a significant “protrusion” or projection that can negatively affect the aerodynamic performance and operational cost of a high speed mobile platform.